Last Ship - Through the Vortex
by Titanic X
Summary: The Red Flu has passed and the world has repopulated to somewhat decent levels. But there is trouble brewing across the pond... in another world. When an accident happens in that world, nine youths are transported there to try and bring about a new era, an era of hope and peace for the inhabitants of the only island nation left in the world - The Hellish Despotic Island of Sodor.
1. Prologue

Prologue

 _The Red Flu._

 _Infection rate: highly lethal._

 _Fatality rate: 100% in those not Immune or Vaccinated._

 _Incubation Rate: 2-3 days_

 _Symptoms: Cough, fever, vomiting… leading to the blood spots, followed by dementia and death._

 _Casualties inflicted: Most of the world's human and vehicle populations._

 _Status: Cured_

 _Notes:_

 _As of ten years ago, the Red Flu has been effectively cured and treated, thanks to the combined efforts of Dr. Rachel Scott-James, the US Navy, and USS Nathan James (DDG-151)._

 _The world is finally recovering from the pandemic, but it will be years before we see a return to pre-Red Flu levels. Families are having large numbers of children to ensure that it takes place, and there have been some surprising results from humans marrying with sentient vehicles, leading to either Shipmen or Immune vehicles being born. My child is one of them._

 _I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. During the race to find the cure, Captain Tom Chandler's young ship, Nathan James, was a big help in finding out the cause for this disease and trying to develop a cure. The last thing either, or rather any of us, expected was for the two of us to fall in love and have a couple shiplings who were made immune to the virus via the contagion cure._

 _The fight to get the cure was long and hard, and we lost a good many men and women to do so. We even nearly lost Nathan himself. Seeing that explosion made my heart stop beating and I swore I would die because I was so upset. I… I just wanted to let it go and become one of the dead. But when we got back to Fortress V, when it seemed like I would have to marry using one of his hull plates as a stand in for him, he came back._

 _Nathan really came back. In spite of his injuries, and the amount of fluids he lost, he somehow managed to limp his way back to base where he was treated for his wounds. But before that, much to our combined surprise, Chandler actually allowed us to get married. He even granted me a position on his ship as a medical officer and a scientist so we could continue to work together. Nathan and I named our shipling in his honor._

 _We've been together ten years now, and little Chandler is really proving to be a handful, especially since he's like his father in that he's an_ Arleigh Burke- _class destroyer. The only difference is that he's got a railgun, it looks like. We did a bit of genetic testing and found him to be a new model, the first of what has been dubbed the Flight III models. A few more have been born, but we won't know how many there are going to be until the baby boom dies down._

 _Nathan's been a real sweetheart in helping me raise Chandler and his baby brother, who we've named Darien in honor of Captain Chandler's wife. The two are quite a handful! (chuckles)_

 _Regardless, the world is finally recovering and those who still believe in this Chosen One baloney are going to have to deal with the United States and the other nations who have recovered some sense of civility. England and Europe are still a mess, but we have reason to believe that soon they'll start to see sense. A few people that have spoken out have been arrested and taken away, never to be seen again. The length of time one can vanish for in Europe worries me and it worries my husband as well. It all comes down to how long it will take for the public to see sense and start a rebellion or something of that sort._

 _If not…_

 _Then we'll just have to prepare for another war._

 _Nathan and I are currently undertaking a study of the Red Flu to fully understand it, and possibly combat it if it mutates once more. We're on our way to the Arctic again to gather more of the primordial sample, and possibly other locations where it has surfaced in the past._

 _Let's just hope we can prevent another Pandemic._

 _Dr. Rachel Scott-James, logging off._

* * *

USS NATHAN JAMES, LOG 24

TIME: 0200 HOURS

LOCATION: CLASSIFIED

MISSION: DELTA 6

 _Yeah, it's hard to believe._

 _Only ten years and now I'm married to the hottest woman I've seen. And with two young shiplings to boot. But the Red Flu still impacted the world in many ways even I can't comprehend. One thing I do know for certain though is that the world is forever changed by this damn Pandemic. Most world powers were wiped out, and while some did recover, others did not and new powers were formed in their place. Out of all the powers that remained, only America retained its Pre-Flu borders and they quickly repopulated to a significant number._

 _Heh. I'm surprised such a thing was even possible._

 _Anyway, most of those are now Shipmen and Immune mixed with Vaccinated. The very idea that they were considered Chosen fell apart when Spray made that announcement, and the majority of the cult that Sean and Ned Ramsey set up came under the banner of the United States and the two brothers were killed in subsequent fighting as time passed. The good news is that through the efforts of Spray and the rest of Fortress V, the country rebounded and the labs were rebuilt. The radiation will make working there a hazard for some time, but the good news is that now we're making progress on recovery._

 _Spray's just finished up his stint as C-in-C of the United States and a new man has taken office. Or, woman I should say. The first female President in history._

 _And now... well, we're getting some more data to prevent another Pandemic._

 _But one thing worries me. With Europe still under the control of those damn Chosen, there's no way we can make the world a better place. The United States still has a long way to go before recovery is complete, and even though we retain our ICBMs, we need to use them wisely or solely as a deterrent. Also, there was a more disturbing incident that took place some time ago during the mop-ups of the cult in the United States. Well, more like across the pond as they say in Europe. Until we know for sure, we're in the dark. And no ship or shipling is going over there until we have a better idea of the situation._

 _What we do know though is that Europe is a real mess. England's ultimate fate is unknown, along with Ireland and Scotland. The rest of Europe we do know about. France is now the new head, and Germany has conquered most of Russian Europe along with Italy. Spain and the rest of Europe are under the control of France as well, forming the French Empire. Germany is in command of a large tract of land to allow for the Chosen to rule and live in prosperity. Apparently some form of Nazism has taken root and France is about to go to war with them over who is more "pureblooded". It's kind of a shame, really. I wanted to see Europe before this whole damn Pandemic broke out a decade earlier. And it didn't help matters that Europe was a hot zone to begin with._

 _Anyway, Europe is a real mess and England's fate is unknown._

 _All we can say is that if it's the worst case scenario, then we need to be prepared to take the next steps. And that's gonna be hard to do. Considering the state of things though, it makes sense that people would be fearful of another war._

 _Regardless, w_ _e're still on edge because of it and no one wants to start a war when the population is so low. We'll need to tread carefully. As for where this took place, we're still unsure. Some island someplace and we'll need to be highly alert for it… If it even exists. If this island does exist, well... then we'll need to be prepared. I just hope it doesn't come down to war again._

 _Nathan James signing off._


	2. The Vortex

( _The screen shows only a swirling vortex before it parts a bit to reveal a world in ruins_ )

 **There's a memory of how I used to be** ( _The camera pans over the ruins, shadows of the past appearing behind them._ )

 **That I can see through the flames** ( _The faint glow of red can be seen before flames engulf the screen, the shadows of the past becoming more revealed as they eventually part.)_

 **I am hypnotized as I fantasize** ( _The flames engulf the screen before it fades to show a pair of glazed over eyes reflecting the image of a pre-Flu city._ )

 **Forgetting lies and pain** ( _The eyes are revealed to be those of a steam engine._ )

 **But I can't go back** ( _The steam engine is engulfed in darkness as the shadows emerge_.)

 **The ashes call my name** ( _The darkness is suddenly shattered by a missile as it streaks out of a glowing light._ )

 **Pouring the fuel, fanning the flames** ( _The missile rockets through the air, homing in on a building that has dark smoke coming out of its chimneys, exploding and sending fire everywhere._ )

 **Breaking the habit and melting the chains** ( _The fire swirls before fading to show Chandler throwing something away from Gregory, the older tug lunging for the smaller vessel._ )

 **Embracing the fear, chasing the fight** ( _The scene shifts to show a group of nine shiplings huddling together before one of them, Chandler, darts forward, despite the fear plastered on his face. He is going for a shadowy figure in front of them._ )

 **The glow of the fire will light up the night** ( _The fires of war rage around Chandler and a lifeless vessel manned by the same shadowy form. His eyes are hard as the form sneers at him._ )

 **The bridges are burning, the heat's on my face** ( _Chandler's blue eyes resemble ice as the fire reflects in them, but more like a golden fire of righteousness, not the burning inferno around him and his opponent._ )

 **Making the past an unreachable place** ( _The buildings of London are shown as they were before the Flu, but a barrier of fire is in the way as numerous forms are gathered in front_.)

 **Pouring the fuel, fanning the flames** ( _London is shown fading as something new happens._ )

 **I know, this is a point of no return** ( _The fire begins to change color._ )

 **It's uncontrollable, such a beautiful desire** ( _The flames part to reveal an island of steam engines and humans living together with other vehicles, but something is wrong on the island._ )

 **There's something sinister about the way it hurts** ( _The camera zooms in on the island, panning about to show the steam engines living an ideal life while in the scrapyards the diesels roam, all looking very menacing._ )

 **When I watch it burn** ( _Diesel Ten is shown as a menacing engine, but behind him is a shadowy form with light blue eyes, and a more mechanical appearance._ )

 **Because I can't go back** ( _The engine behind him is revealed to be one from the Old World, with light blue eyes and that claw, but with a more delicate look to it._ )

 **The ashes call my name** ( _The scene shifts to show the ashes of the smoke from the smelters_.)

 **Pouring the fuel, fanning the flames** ( _A missile rockets through the air, homing in on a building that has dark smoke coming out of its chimneys, exploding and sending fire everywhere._ )

 **Breaking the habit and melting the chains** ( _The fire swirls before fading to show Diesel Ten throwing away a large clump of coal._ )

 **Embracing the fear, chasing the fight** ( _The scene shifts to show a group of nine shiplings huddling together before one of them, Chandler, darts forward, despite the fear plastered on his face. He is going for a shadowy figure in front of them._ )

 **The glow of the fire will light up the night** ( _The fires of war rage around Chandler and a lifeless vessel manned by the same shadowy form. His eyes are hard as the form sneers at him._ )

 **The bridges are burning, the heat's on my face** ( _Chandler's blue eyes resemble ice as the fire reflects in them, but more like a golden fire of righteousness, not the burning inferno around him and his opponent._ )

 **Making the past an unreachable place** ( _The buildings of London are shown as they were before the Flu, but a barrier of fire is in the way as numerous forms are gathered in front_.)

 **Pouring the fuel, fanning the flames** ( _London is shown fading as something new happens._ )

 **I know, this is a point of no return** ( _The fire changes color and begins to dim._ )

 **I won't turn around** ( _As the flames fade, the past begins to shine its light down on the dystopian world that Sodor resides in._ )

 **I won't turn around** ( _The light from the past hits one of the steam engines and he chugs forward, his Grey Face becoming more like that of a modern diesel engine, morphing from a steam engine to a modern diesel._ )

 **I won't turn around** ( _His transformation completes and he leaves the dystopian world behind as he is shown leading the rest of the steam engines, trucks, and humans towards London itself as it was in the past._ )

 **Pouring the fuel, fanning the flames** ( _The flames of dystopia surge behind them, but they increase their speed as war engulfs the island._ )

 **Breaking the habit and melting the chains** ( _The fire swirls before fading to show the same steam engine from before plowing through a propaganda rally._ )

 **Embracing the fear, chasing the fight** ( _The scene shifts to show two sides, one with a banner of light, the other with a banner of shadows._ )

 **The glow of the fire will light up the night** ( _The fires of war rage around the docks as it shows the vortex surrounded by the flames of burning ships._ )

 **The bridges are burning, the heat's on my face** ( _The shiplings dart towards the portal, becoming engulfed by it as it flares._ )

 **Making the past an unreachable place** ( _The buildings of Norfolk are shown as the shiplings tumble through a colorful stream of energy and light._ )

 **Pouring the fuel, fanning the flames** ( _The light engulfs the screen before fading to show the sun overhead._ )

 **I know… this is the point of no return** ( _The island of Sodor is shown before it fades to show the nine shiplings gathered in front of London's ruins and remains, the series name above them all._ )

 **The Last Ship**

 **Through the Vortex**

 **Chapter 1 – The Vortex**

The sun beat down on the city of Norfolk, the clouds fluttering across the clear blue sky. Birds chirped as they wheeled overhead, heading for their nests amongst the trees or even the buildings that dotted the landscape of Norfolk Naval Station. One of the birds swooped down low and flared its wings, coming in for a landing on one of the many ships that made the station their home.

The ship looked up at the bird perched on his mast, blinking his blue eyes before he scowled and blasted his horn, startling the bird off his radar mast. But the bird left a bit of a calling card as it let loose a white blob that splattered right on top of his bridge, right between his eyes. "ACK!"

He blinked as a few other shiplings in the group laughed before blushing and glaring at them.

"Nice look, Chandler!" a tanker chuckled as she sneered at him.

"Shut it!" the young destroyer whined as he inched closer to his teacher. The older vessel was one of the retired _Kidd_ -class vessels, and he was currently doing a teacher exchange program to help broaden the horizon of the next generation. His name was Kidd, and he was a destroyer like several other shiplings in the class, but none of them were an _Arleigh Burke_ -class. Chandler was the only one in the entire group.

Kidd looked down at poor Chandler and sighed, looking at the tanker. "Bertha! I want you to apologize to him!" he said.

"Why?" the tanker, now identified as Bertha, scoffed. She was a bit bigger than Chandler at the moment, but that was sure to change as she grew older. Her eyes were a deep green color in contrast to Chandler's bright blues. And her paint was simple, with a black hull, red keel, and a white superstructure. Her funnel was currently a plain metal grey; once she got a job it would be painted.

"Because I said so. It's not nice to pick on others," Kidd scolded her.

The tanker rolled her eyes and looked at Chandler. "Sorry for teasing you," she said, although it wasn't totally sincere.

Kidd noticed this, but let it slide as he sighed. "Okay. Now, back to the lesson at hand," he said. "Now, who can tell me just what the Red Flu was and how was it cured?"

He swept his brown gaze over the group, his eyes landing on a battleship youth about eleven years of age. He was a mix of an _Iowa_ and a _San Antonio_ -class LSD, so he had the firepower of a battleship, but the docking well of an LSD. He had deep brown eyes, and despite his attentiveness in class, he had some problems with his short term memory. "Um… When was that again?" he asked.

Kidd sighed and rolled his eyes. "Ugh… Jason, it was yesterday we went over this!" he remarked. "But, just for the record, it occurred ten years ago, and it was cured by Dr. Rachel Scott-James and her husband, Nathan James."

"Oh." Jason Waves looked down, his eyes clouding with disappointment.

He looked to the next ship in the group, a fourteen year old ocean liner named Sarah "Lightning" Bradford. She was a very pretty ship with bright blue eyes that seemed to never lose optimism and she had a very striking paint job, with a sleek white hull and light green lines that swirled with a pair of golden lightning bolts. Her funnel was currently retracted so it didn't stick out; it was a bright red color, and people tended to tease her about it. But what was really surprising was that she had nestled on her bow deck a baby submarine pup, not more than a month old. The little guy was sound asleep; she was stuck babysitting him,

"Sarah? Do you know?" Kidd asked her.

Sarah nodded. "I sure do, sir," she said. "The Red Flu was one of the worst viruses to ever hit the planet's population. Over four and a half billion people died, as did over two thirds of the vehicle population. The virus was eventually cured by Dr. Scott-James managing to create a vaccine/cure in three different forms: vaccine, aerosol, and contagion. The contagion variant was the most successful, and the virus was isolated at the end, and put into storage deep within Fort Knox to keep it out of enemy hands."

"That's right," Kidd praised. "So, anyone have anything else to add?"

"You bet!" a young minesweeper chirped. His name was Benny Lars, and he was part of one of the newest generation of minesweepers. His eyes were a stunning gold color, and he was a sleek fellow, and on his stern were barrels full of explosives: depth charges. "Our classmate Chandler was born to the two!" He grinned.

Chandler squeaked and blushed. His half-human heritage was one thing he was proud of but also embarrassed by at the same time. And this was one of those moments he felt embarrassed by it.

"Benny, I mean what else do you have to add about the lesson?" Kidd clarified.

"Oh. Well, then I got nothing," the youth answered. He suddenly tensed before he sneezed, and rather loudly.

The sneeze was enough to startle another shipling in the group, a blind tugboat named Darren Logan. He yelped and bashed his bow into another shipling, prompting the youth to whirl and bite Darren on the bow. He squealed in pain as the other shipling then let go and spun, using his momentum to deliver a blow to the tug's side.

"Darren! Gregory! Enough!" Kidd snapped as he sailed to break up the fight.

"He started it!" the fifteen year old ocean-going tug growled. Chandler got a whiff of his breath and he reeled, grimacing in disgust. Was this guy on something?!

Gregory Tennyson was the oldest of the group, and a real brawler. His mother was a tug, as was his dad, and both were well-known in New York as the best boats to turn to when pulling out of dock. It didn't help much that he fell in with the wrong crowd though, especially since he always seemed to have some stash of drugs on his person someplace. His paint job was black with a grey superstructure and white sides, his hull missing the usual bumpers that all tugboats gained when they passed the training courses. His reddish brown eyes always seemed to have a bit of a glare to them, which made others stay away from him.

Darren was a smaller vessel, and unlike Gregory, his eyes were closed. He was blind since birth, and as a result, he had very good hearing. His paint job was black with a red superstructure, and again, white sides. His mother had been blind from birth as well due to a genetic mutation. But that also enhanced his radar to pinpoint accuracy.

"Hey! If Benny hadn't sneezed, I wouldn't have bumped you!" Darren shouted to Gregory.

"Shut it, Logan!" the older vessel growled.

"Enough! Both of you!" Kidd snapped.

"Sorry, sir," both tugboats said as they looked down.

"Anyway, back to the lesson. Anyone else have anything to add?" Kidd asked the class.

The shiplings looked at one another before one of them blew her horn softly.

"Loretta?"

The shipling, Loretta Walls, tried to sail forward, but she wound up limping instead. And with a good reason: the engines on her port side were messed up from a collision she had when she was younger. At thirteen, she was already disabled with a major limp. Her entire port side near her stern was dented badly, and her parents were trying to save enough money for her to get surgery to have it fixed and all of her engines replaced with newer ones. She had a brown and grey paint job with bright green eyes, so she was a standout amongst the more colorful vessels in the class.

"The Red Flu also was engineered by the man who was dubbed Patient Zero. He tried to engineer a vaccine, but instead wound up turning himself into a Typhoid Mary of sorts, and he was able to kill a large part of the planet's population simply by breathing. Thankfully Dr. Scott-James was able to isolate and remove his DNA from the virus, thereby making him susceptible to the Red Flu," she said.

"Very good," Kidd complemented as he looked over the class.

"Now, your homework is the following: you are all to write a four page paper on the Outbreak and how it affected the world's population of both humans and vehicles," he said.

"When's it due?" Benny asked before sneezing again.

"It'll be due by the end of next week."

"Okay."

"Dismissed."

The shiplings all scattered, heading every which way as Chandler sailed off, intent on getting the bird goop off his bridge.

* * *

"Happy Birthday, Chandler!"

The shipling's eyes were wide as his mother proceeded to wheel out a large packing pallet loaded with fresh lobster, nice and steaming hot from being boiled. His mouth began to water as he squealed with delight, burying his bow in his birthday dinner.

His father, Nathan James, chuckled at his son's antics. "Okay, Chandler. Settle down or you'll get sick."

"Sorry, Daddy!" he chirped. "It's just so good!" He dove back into his meal while his mother, Rachel Scott-James, patted his bow lovingly.

"I know, Chandler," she said.

The shipling shot his gaze to look over at where his dad's entire crew stood, each holding a present for him. But his most favorite gift by far had been a real surprise. As soon as he had come home from school that day, his dad took him to the dry dock to get missiles equipped. But these were the adult version, not the shipling sized variant that most shiplings retained until fifteen years of age. But seeing as how Chandler ha hit his growth spurt early, his parents got him to get the full sized missiles placed into his VLS cells five years early. It felt a bit weird, but at least he was now ready for anything that came his way.

"I still can't believe I got the full missiles!" he chirped happily.

"Well, we figured it was time anyway. But you have to promise to use them only when you feel you need to protect something or someone close to you, okay?" Nathan said.

Chandler nodded eagerly. "You got it, Daddy!" he said with a grin.

Nathan laughed a bit as he nodded to his crew. "Time to give the boy his presents!"

The XO, Mike Slattery, was the first to give him his gift. Chandler was surprised to see that it was a small dog tag that he helped put around the shipling's main mast. His eyes lit up at the thought of it and he let out a giggle of delight.

Lt. Kara Foster was next, handing him a stack of Sudoku books. The small shipling grinned widely. He was addicted to Sudoku. And his father was one to encourage him to do it to keep his young mind sharp.

The next person to give him a gift was Tex Nolan. The man was one to make him laugh and he had Chandler squealing with laughter by the time he was done telling a story. He even handed him a recording of some of his comedic exploits on his father's mission, and the shipling licked him in return.

One by one, everyone handed him some gifts. Some were collaboration gifts, bought with total money, and some were just handmade. But all in all, it was one of his best birthdays ever, especially when his namesake and father's captain came over, his kids beside him. "Hey, kiddo," the captain said as he knelt. "You're doing well."

Chandler nodded. "You bet, sir!" he chirped eagerly.

Tom Chandler smiled. "Well, I have something for you."

"What? What? What? What?" Chandler asked eagerly, waggling his stern excitedly.

"Close your eyes."

The shipling did so and he felt Tom working on his bow, the feel of something wet making him open his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, Tom was finished, holding a paintbrush and paint can in hand. A smile crossed his face. "There. What do you think, Nathan?"

Nathan grinned at his captain. "It really suits him. He's gonna make one hell of a destroyer when he's grown."

Chandler blinked in confusion. "What's on my bow?" he asked.

His father smiled a bit more. "Here." He looked at his wife and she nodded, holding up a mirror for the occasion. She turned it and with her husband's help held it up so he could see. Chandler turned a bit and he squeaked in surprise.

On his bow, right behind his anchor was the numbers 157.

He checked his other side and blinked his blue eyes.

He shot his gaze back to Tom Chandler who smiled a bit. "Those are your hull code numbers, Chandler. I thought you'd deserve a present like that."

"But… don't I get them when I join the navy?" the shipling asked.

The human nodded. "True, but in this case, consider it a birthday present from me to you."

The shipling squealed happily and licked the man three times before backing off. "Thank you!" he chirped.

The captain laughed as he placed a hand on Chandler's bow. "You're welcome, son."

The next few hours were the most joyous of all. Everyone had cake, and the group had a ton of fun catching up on old times and Tex humored everyone until they were practically crying from laughter. The group finally departed around five that evening and the four family members fell into an easy rest, just chatting and having some alone time. Chandler and Darien were finally put to dock around eight, and while they slept, their parents had some time to themselves to enjoy some quiet lovemaking together.

But that evening was also the point where things started to take a turn for the worse…

And not on planet Earth…

Or at least the one they knew…

* * *

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! How else are we going to get outta here?! Haven't you seen what they've been doing?!"

"I have! But what makes you so sure you can get this old thing to function?"

"I studied it."

"For what, a month? This thing is way too advanced! There's no way in hell you could study it that fast!"

"I don't care! We need to leave, and this thing is our only bet!"

"Look. I'm not saying I don't trust your judgement, but this is just too much! There's no telling what will happen!"

"I understand. But we have to take this chance! I'm serious! If they find out we're gone from the sheds, they'll scrap us both! And I don't want that!"

"…"

"You can stay behind if you want. I'm not forcing you to come, but…"

"No. I'm coming. But we still need a bit more time."

"No. We're _out_ of time as it is. We have to go _now!_ "

"All right… But… I just don't want to risk it…"

"I'm honestly scared as well. But I know we also have one chance and that is now. So… let's go already before the Thought Guard finds us!"

"Okay…"

Somewhere within the darkness of the shadows, two shapes huddled as an ancient device began to power up, preparing to open a gateway to another world for escape.

But the device, being as old as it was, was not to be operational much longer. Due to its advanced age and long term disuse, the generator overloaded and shorted out, exploding outwards and killing the two steam engines as they tried to run for it.

Yet at the same time, it tore open a gate to another world, and transported to this new world nine shiplings…

Shiplings that were to change that world for the better.

* * *

Chandler increased his speed as he drew closer to the school dock. "C'mon… c'mon! I don't wanna be late!" he muttered to himself as he sailed closer.

The fog obscured the docks, but he knew from sailing these waters that it was not too far off. And he was taking a big risk running full steam for it. Ships had to slow in the fog, and as it was, there were others coming to school as well.

His eyes landed on the shapes of other vessels speeding to the docks where their class was, and he spotted Jason as he looked around. "Um…"

"Jason!" he called.

The mix looked over, and his eyes widened. "Chandler?"

"Whatcha doing?" the young _Arleigh Burke_ asked as he joined up.

"Trying to find the school dock…" Jason muttered as he blushed.

Chandler gaped in shock. "What?! How could you forget that?!" he blurted.

"I… You know I have problems with my short term memory…" the _Iowa_ mix said softly.

Chandler sighed as he shook his bow. "All right. C'mon. Just stay close behind me and don't sail off," he said.

The other ship nodded and they sailed off together towards the school dock. As they did so, he looked around, his blue eyes narrowed. He didn't know why, but something was off, or wrong even.

The next thing he knew, something bapped him on the stern and he yelped, jumping around to face whatever hit him. His eyes were wide and his sides were heaving as he gasped for breath, trying to calm himself down.

"Hah! You should've seen your face!" Bertha cackled as she sailed past, sneering at him.

Chandler growled lowly as he sailed closer to her, baring his teeth. "Why do you take such fun in tormenting others?!" he asked, his eyes narrowing to mere slits.

Bertha merely grinned as she sailed off, flicking her wire in his direction.

The young destroyer hissed in return.

She didn't even acknowledge his threat as she continued on. Chandler growled deeply and he lunged, targeting her stern and biting the railing there. Bertha squealed as she felt his teeth drive themselves into her metal plating, and she whipped her body around, but Chandler refused to let go.

Jason saw this and sailed to help the young destroyer against the tanker. He bit onto her side, and she finally had enough. Bertha finally used her engines to great effect, and by throwing one into reverse, she was able to throw off the two smaller shiplings, causing them to crash into one another. Chandler landed right on top of Jason, nearly pushing the other shipling under the water. But he managed to somehow scramble off and he revved his engines, a sign of a challenge.

But Bertha didn't heed it. She merely growled at the two. "You two are such annoyances!" she snarled.

"Says the one who teased me about bird crap on my head!" the destroyer shot back.

"What? That was a good look for you!" Bertha cackled.

"That does it! You are so dead!" Chandler roared. He lunged for her, but the next thing he knew, Gregory was in his way, bashing the smaller vessel aside. The young destroyer went skipping across the water before smacking right into Darren who was a bit bloody from a fight.

"What's the big idea?!" Bertha roared at Gregory.

"You got in the way of my fight!" the burly tug snapped.

"Says the one who's high on dope!" Chandler hissed as he got onto his keel with Darren's help.

"Shut the fuck up!" Gregory yelled at him. "You don't know that!"

"I could smell it on your breath!" he shot back, grimacing.

He looked back, just in time to see Sarah and Loretta coming up, the ocean liner keeping a firm grip on the baby submarine pup with her anchor like a leash.

"And here comes the mother!" Bertha sneered.

"Hey! I'm just babysitting!" Sarah whined. "I'm not even a mother!"

"Then how come you're carrying around a baby sub like a w*****?" Gregory sneered, leering at her.

Sarah yelped and backed up as Benny sailed in front of her. "Just leave her alone, you bullies!" he hissed before sneezing loudly.

"Aww, is the wittle baby allergic?" Bertha sneered.

"And what's with the cripple?" Gregory asked as Loretta snarled in anger.

"I'm not going to be crippled for long!" she snarled at the tug.

The two bullies sneered as they looked at one another.

Now, in terms of size, Bertha had an edge over the other shiplings whereas in terms of brawling strength and sheer engine power, Gregory had a huge advantage himself. Ocean going tugs were much stronger than any other tugboat because of their size and engine power. So it made sense considering how they had to push or pull some of the larger vessels out at sea.

So together the two shiplings had an unfair advantage over their opponents.

But Chandler was a destroyer, and they were built to take a beating. Unlike Sarah who was an ocean liner, and Loretta with her damaged engines, he, Darren, Benny, and Jason could take a pounding. Also they had to be careful of the baby submarine.

Chandler glared at the two other shiplings. "You want a fight? You got one!" he hissed.

The shiplings sneered before they lunged for the smaller vessels.

* * *

Somewhere in the depths of space and time, something stirred. It wasn't much, but the slightest movement set in motion a chain reaction. The reaction expanded outwards, driven by the explosion of the old generator that tore open a hole in time itself. The energy was so immense it caused a slight shifting of the space-time continuum and therefore started the process of rifting.

The energy exploded outwards, causing the fabric of space to alter and shift before creating a very small tear. That tear started to grow as more energy started to build. Much like a catalyst in a chemical reaction, energy began to cause a change in the composition of space-time at one particular location, forcing the tear to expand a bit more and more.

But that very tear also started to warp the reality of the world in which Chandler and his group resided. The air began to waver ever so slightly, and no one even took notice. Well, no one on the water, let alone on land. It was so subtle it seemed as if nothing was going to happen. Those few that did take notice would later recall nothing but a strange sensation that they described as "being torn apart briefly before being put back together again."

The very same instance was also happening in the other world, the source of all this.

Again the fabric of space and time was warping, causing the inhabitants to take notice and some to voice their thoughts and opinions. But unlike back where Chandler's group lived, people started to… disappear… after their thoughts became known.

Some even were sent to the scrappers and never seen again.

And things continued to worsen.

The phenomenon in Chandler's world was becoming more and more pronounced, finally getting the attention of the shiplings as they prepared to engage in an all-out brawl.

Benny was the first to notice the wavering around them as he was nearly attacked by Gregory. "Hold it!" he cried. "Stop!"

"Why?" Gregory sneered as he came to a stop behind the minesweeper.

"Something's not right here!" he shouted. "I'm serious! Just look around you!"

"Yeah? Well, I don't care!" the burly tug snorted.

"He's right!" Chandler yelled. "I saw it! Everything's warped!" The smaller destroyer inched closer, but was shoved back by Bertha.

Chandler yelped as he reversed course after her shove, and just in time too.

Within seconds, a large light suddenly erupted from that spot, and every one of the shiplings yelled out as it flashed, blinding them. Chandler felt as if the water was suddenly being drained, or drawn into some kind of swirling vortex. The air around them seemed to be swirling as the light suddenly gave way to pure blackness and he realized what it meant with a sinking feeling in his engines. "GET OUTTA HERE NOW!" he screamed.

The other shiplings heeded his fearful order and they all turned, struggling to push their engines to the max. Gregory's engines had more power, but the speed he had was nothing compared to Chandler, who could go at his full speed of over thirty knots. His engines revved as he pushed them into the red. But despite that, not even he could overcome the vortex's strength, and then they all got sucked up out of the water, screaming as they faded into the blackness of the vortex.

And then everything went dark.

* * *

 _Ugh…_

 _What happened?_

 _I…Why does my head hurt so bad?_

 _Did I have some rotten salmon or something?_

 _Urgh… My stomach…!_

Chandler stirred as he felt his stomach lurching. He groaned miserably before he felt his stomach lurch hard and an acidic taste surged up his throat. He leaned over and vomited up his breakfast, right into the water around him. He managed to pry open his blue eyes, only to be greeted with a hazy vision.

"W…Whu…?"

He felt a massive headache coming and he groaned as he closed his eyes, feeling his entire body aching for some odd reason.

He opened his eyes again, this time blinking them to clear the haziness. "Man… What hit me?"

Chandler shook his bow a few times to dispel the headache and sense of dizziness before he finally was able to fully open his eyes. And he immediately wished he hadn't.

All around him was destruction and devastation. He could see that he was in London, England, but something was wrong. For one thing, the whole city seemed to be overgrown with vines and trees, the buildings starting to wear a crown or a cloak of green. The Buckingham Palace was coated in greenery and Big Ben held its position at the last time it displayed. He watched it for a full minute to see if it would change, but the hands of the iconic clock tower refused to budge.

Or rather, they couldn't.

Also the lean of the tower was more pronounced. He had heard that it had a slight quirk that caused it to lean a bit. But to see it so pronounced…

What the hell had happened here?

Another thing that stood out was the lack of any human or vehicular life. What little remains did exist were covered by the greenery or were starting to rust away and/or decay. He inched closer to one of the docks, half expecting to see some humans there, but there was nothing.

Not even a ship's remains.

This whole place…

London was deserted.

And he was the only one left.


End file.
